Major event to place Turkey on golfing map
Monday, March 3, 2008
ÖZGÜR KORKMAZ
Belek, Antalya - Turkish Daily News
In recent years, Turkey has proven itself a successful host of major events, including the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix and the 2005 Champions League final, and now the country is ready to host a major golf event, the Turkish Ladies open.
The 250,000-euro Turkish Ladies Open, which will be a part of the 2008 Ladies European Tour, will be held at the National Golf Club from May 5-11. The National Golf Club is located in Belek, Antalya, Turkey's up and coming golf center where 13 golf courses are located.
Bülent Göktüna, president of the National Golf Club, said more than 120 golfers from around 30 countries are expected to participate in the event. "It was not easy to convince organizers for a tournament to be held in Turkey," he said. "But we managed to pull it off and it will be a great opportunity for us to promote both Turkey and golf tourism in Belek region."
The National Golf Club, founded in 1994, is the first golf course in southern Turkey. The par-72 championship course, designed by Ryder Cup player David Feherty, is "challenging and exciting," according to Martina Eberl, 26, a LET player and winner of 2007 Madrid Ladies Masters.
"This is my first time in Turkey and I am really impressed,� said Eberl, who played a round at the course Saturday. �The course is really good, it is very challenging. I believe that the event in May will be a major success.�
The biggest event of ladies' golf is the LPGA Tour, which Elbert finds �too much business.��When the players come to the course for a LET event, they all greet, say hello to each other. It is very different in the LPGA where you are usually all alone.�
The business side of golf may be difficult for the players, but it sure helps the organizers. And the lack of interest in golf in Turkey is a handicap when seeking sponsors. �At least 3,000 people will travel to Belek for the event and the TV broadcast will reach more than 1 billion people,� said Göktüna, adding that the number of spectators will be even higher as May is a high season for golf. �But unfortunately Turkish companies hesitate to sponsor the event. I hope that the situation changes in the following years.�
Three Turks to play:
Along with the 120 LET players to come to Turkey, the organizers will have wild cards. Three of the wild card players will be Turks, national team members Necla Gerçek, Elçin Ulu and Müzeyyen Şaşmaz, a local of Belek who still works as a caddy at the National Golf Club. �I was looking for a job when I started to work here in 1997,� said Şaşmaz. �For the first two years, I had no interest in playing golf. But when I tried it, I loved it. Now I even have golf dreams,� she added.
Şaşmaz's success is the result of the club's policy, encouraging the locals and also the employees to play golf. �All our employees, from our chef to the clerks in the accounting department, play golf whenever they have the time,� said Bilun Kefeli, the club's general manager. �Those who started to work here as caddies when they were kids have become trainers. We now train 40 talented children, 25 from the nearby villages and 15 from the orphanage, as the future golf stars.�
Golf may not be very popular in Turkey at present, but hosting major events like the Turkish Ladies Open will help boost the sport's popularity. And considering the efforts at the National Golf club, it will come as no surprise if Turks make it to the professional tour in the coming years.
© 2005 Dogan Daily News Inc. www.turkishdailynews.com.tr
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